Imp of the Sun
Imp of the Sun
Game
Game2023
LIVE A LIVE
Developer Square Enix, historia Inc.
The legend is alive! LIVE A LIVE, originally only released for the Super Famicom in Japan, is being revived on Steam! Experience this legendary RPG, brought alive in the same HD-2D visual style as OCTOPATH TRAVELER. From the Steam store page
330 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 6, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
87
LovedLoved
163 positive · 25 negative
95% range 81–91%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 163 | 25 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 46 | 2 | 76 |
| Mastodon * | 5 | 0 | 13 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
475 of 535 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
86% recommend · 161 yes, 26 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 187 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (822 of 961 positive).
Players praise the game's unique anthology structure of short, varied stories across different time periods. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note uneven quality between chapters, with a few finding certain scenarios less engaging. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the pacing, translation, or value, while others call it a life-changing experience. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
A great concept that I really like as a concept, but that has not translated well into a game. Mild spoilers ahead. Live A Live lets you play through several chapters (and a bigger final chapter), with each chapter having it's own protagonist, set in a separate time period and starring it's own little story. I love that as a concept; playing different characters, maybe with some different mechanics depending on the …
- [1]
Unlike most JRPGs, which have very long linear stories, this game has several shorter stories that you can play in whatever order you want, which is unique. Perfect if you want to play a JRPG but don't have a ton of time. I also love this game's depiction of hatred. It is so accurate, it's almost biblical: no matter where you are in history, hate will always be there, and it's a never ending battle, yet you can't …
- [17]
This game sucks. I am left a broken and changed man. I now have to carry the burden of this game occupying space in my brain. I have to carry the burden of telling everyone I know to experience this game in one way or another for the rest of my life without being able to tell them exactly why. It's one of those things that is better to experience knowing as little as possible. What am I supposed to say about a game …
- [4]
Recommended Live A Live is one of those games that's much easier to appreciate once you stop expecting every chapter to be equally strong. Its greatest strength is variety. Every scenario experiments with a different setting, tone, and gameplay style. Some feel like traditional RPGs, others barely resemble one at all. That willingness to constantly reinvent itself kept me interested even when a particular chapter …
- [2]
Insanely impressive game. You play as 7 different characters, each with their own story and world. Their stories are completely seperated and in different times in history, but once you finish all of the stories, an additional one unlocks, and ties all of their stories in such an amazing way. Absolute banger of a game.
Summarised from 34 of the 313 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked LIVE A LIVE talk about unique anthology format with short, varied stories; those who didn't talk about some chapters feel weaker or less engaging. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 330 · most liked firstCelebrating 31 years of Live A Live today! 🎂 Try the free demo of the HD-2D remake, available now on PlayStation 5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam!
neutral · AI labelView post →the problem with "a Square-Enix game is getting a remake!" is that it can mean like five different things. like is this a Live-A-Live Remake remake or a Secret of Mana Remake remake or a Trials of Mana Remake remake or a FFVII Remake remake or a FF Pixel Remaster remake
neutral · AI labelView post →How to do an ff6 remake: Step 1: do exactly what you did for Live a Live Step 2: congrats, it is one video game
neutral · AI labelView post →in a fan translation of the snes squaresoft game Live a Live, one of the attacks in the game was named "Pissed Fist". this phrase has rattled around in my head for like two decades since. i cannot get enough of "Pissed Fist"
neutral · AI labelView post →Man the FFT remaster is so good. I wish they added the War of the Lions classes and made some tough choices with the script but overall up there with Live-A-Live. The voice acting opens the game up.
neutral · AI labelView post →Let's to this! 🐀Gamer since: 5 🎮First system: N64 🕹️Last system: Switch 👾Main: Switch ❤️Fav: Switch 👑Fav dev: Monolith Soft ⚡First game: Pokemon Stadium 2 🕐Fav game: Live a Live 😈Least fav game: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl ⏩Graphics or Frames: Art style
neutral · AI labelView post →This track is called "Knock You Down!"! Live A Live was an awesome game! The 7 different storylines were all interesting and unique, and the combat was a ton of fun too! I specifically played the HD-2D remake of the game, and the graphics were absolutely beautiful 🥹 it was a cool experience to have!
positive · AI labelView post →This track is called "Megalomania"! This variation of the track is from the HD-2D version of the game! Live A Live was an awesome game! All of the storylines were really cool, and they were a ton of fun to play through! The graphics in the HD-2D version were beautiful as well 🥹 it was a good time!
positive · AI labelView post →This review of LIVE A LIVE sums it up for me and really any other game that resonates and has the brain space occupying burden.
neutral · AI labelView post →One of these days, I really want to stream Live A Live for you all. It's an incredible game with a fantastic story to tell, one I feel is quite relevant and important today. If you haven't played it, please give it a try. If you want to experience it with me, please let me know! Stay tuned!
positive · AI labelView post →This is how Toby can put more Live a Live into his video game
neutral · AI labelView post →Just finished Live A Live and like, if that game got localized back in '94 I'm certain it would be celebrated on the same level as Earthbound here in the west. It should be honestly! What a game
positive · AI labelView post →Game Completed: Live A Live Everyone needs to play Live A Live. Each distinct story is so well done and you begin to appreciate the characters and what they're fighting for. The music, story, gameplay are all great! I can't believe this was a SNES game originally. Glad I finally played this, 9/10
positive · AI labelView post →Live A Live is probably still my favorite HD-2D game. I hadn't played the original so I didn't care it was a remake. Just an awesome game
positive · AI labelView post →Replaying one of my more recent additions to the favorite game of all time list rn and yeah Live A Live is still peak. Imperial China still has one of the best cuts to Megalomania of the seven main stories.
positive · AI labelView post →Scott's Stash is such a funny fucking contrast from Scott the Woz. Scott the Woz will give you a whole musical number about the concept of not gelling w/ a video game genre and Scott having a mental crisis bc he likes Persona 5 and then on Scott's Stash he's just like "yeah Live A Live is cool"
neutral · AI labelView post →everything in the universe seemed to be conspiring against me so i wouldn't finish this, but it's done. happy (belated) 4th anni to my fav game ever #aimadraws #LIVEALIVE #ライブアライブ #bskyart - 宇宙のあらゆるものが私に敵対して、この作品を完成させないようにしているように感じましたが、ついに完成しました。 『Live A Live Remake』4周年おめでとうございます！（少し遅れてしまいましたが！）
neutral · AI labelView post →Only I have the COURAGE to name a 2 yr old game as my GOTY for 2024! TAKE THAT GEOFF Live A Live truly feels one of a kind, an RPG that's sometimes a stealth game, sometimes a fighting game, and sometimes Tecmo's Deception. Some bits of this game could have been their OWN game! YES YOU, NEAR FUTURE
positive · AI labelView post →Fredo's Game-Os: Been playing Live A Live, a 1994 game I remember hearing about forever ago but never checked it out until the remake from 2022. It's pretty neat - There are 7 characters from different periods of time and each one has a little experimental RPG
neutral · AI labelView post →Unlike most JRPGs, which have very long linear stories, this game has several shorter stories that you can play in whatever order you want, which is unique. Perfect if you want to play a JRPG but don't have a ton of time. I also love this game's depiction of hatred. It is so accurate, it's almost biblical: no matter where you are in history, hate will always be there, and it's a never ending battle, yet you can't give up nor allow it to consume you. If you're a JRPG fan and you're looking for a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →*extending my hand from the time portal* come, my love. We can solve all of this by making Live a Live the ~only~ video game
neutral · AI labelView post →Happy 31st anniversary to Square RPG classic #LIVEALIVE, which was originally launched in Japan on the Super Famicom today! The game would go on to receive a fantastic HD-2D remake globally in 2022. Check out our review below! Remake Review: www.rpgfan.com/review/live-...
neutral · AI labelView post →A year before Chrono Trigger, Square released the experimental and overlooked Live A Live: a wildly eclectic and sincere game pulling from manga, film, television, and history to tell a story about how our lives are shaped and how we shape lives. Listen to our love letter to a love letter!
neutral · AI labelView post →Recommended, the most reluctant thumbs up I will ever give. I bought this game. That was my first mistake. My second was the sunk cost fallacy chaining me to it like a medieval prisoner who paid for his own shackles. The pacing is what I imagine purgatory feels like. Every 30 minutes of grinding earns you about 5 glorious minutes of actual content. It's basically a slot machine, except instead of money you're gambling with the only non-renewable resource you have: time. The characters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decided on my next Switch game, it's time to give Live A Live a shot. Kicking off with the prehistoric era 🦕
neutral · AI labelView post →That one time I got hired to create a cover for a Live A Live fan made cookbook. One of the few times I got to do "research" with a video game and I had a blast running through this multifaceted rpg. #LIVEALIVE #rpg #snes
neutral · AI labelView post →what if getting all the eggs unlocks a new character at the end of the game called Yolko Shimomura and they play the Live A Live theme
neutral · AI labelView post →Happy 4th Anniversary to the LIVE A LIVE remake! I was a little late to the party but greatly enjoyed my playthrough nonetheless. Very unique and ambitious for a game that originally came out in 1994 and its influence is felt even to this day. Follow Toby Fox's recommendation and play it.
positive · AI labelView post →SquareEnix has provided me with a game code for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake! I very much enjoyed this style for Live A Live, so let's take today to see how it treats DQ3! #sponsored twitch.tv/voxandra voxandra.gay
neutral · AI labelView post →This game sucks. I am left a broken and changed man. I now have to carry the burden of this game occupying space in my brain. I have to carry the burden of telling everyone I know to experience this game in one way or another for the rest of my life without being able to tell them exactly why. It's one of those things that is better to experience knowing as little as possible. What am I supposed to say about a game who's strongest selling points are better off left as surprises? I hate this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Random game from my collection-saturday! I got to the very end of Live A Live and dropped it for some reason? Can't really remember why, but I had a blast with this. Loved that it got a remake!
positive · AI labelView post →Four Favorite Video Game Villains 🖤🎮: Odio - Live A Live Giygas - MOTHER / MOTHER 2 Jean Descole - Professor Layton SPOILER - Ys SEVEN
neutral · AI labelView post →Original SNES gem Live A Live was out 32 years ago (1994) in Japan! 🤖⚔️ Players abroad were officially able to play the HD2D remake in 2022 (and it's great!). Play as 7 [or 8?] unique heroes – and discover the dark secret that connects them all! Media + Review: www.rpgfan.com/game/live-a-...
neutral · AI labelView post →The game didn’t impress me much at the start, I was kinda critical of how short each of the chapters were… but then the Oersted chapter began and it completely flipped everything on its head… and then the Dominion of Hate chapter started and WOW. Pleasant surprise of a game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A common trend here in Live A Live 😂 I’m through 5 stories and absolutely enjoying it! Its been the perfect game to play right now. I finished the Imperial China story yesterday and it made me tear up 😭
positive · AI labelView post →A great concept that I really like as a concept, but that has not translated well into a game. Mild spoilers ahead. Live A Live lets you play through several chapters (and a bigger final chapter), with each chapter having it's own protagonist, set in a separate time period and starring it's own little story. I love that as a concept; playing different characters, maybe with some different mechanics depending on the time period...but the execution ranges from mediocre to frustrating. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved the SNES version and was enjoying this remake until I got to the Medieval chapter. I'd rather not spoil anything but the translation is unnecessarily heavy, filled with purple prose that doesn't add anything, makes reading through it a chore and completely ruins the scenario by making the character motivations difficult to understand. Had I not played the original version before I would've just confused but now I'm... disappointed? If you want to play this at least go watch a video of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN FOLKS!! Live A Live is $20 on steam til July 9th! my personal pitches for this game will be in the replies 💖 #LIVEALIVE #steamsummersale #steamsale #ライブアライブ
neutral · AI labelView post →If anyone wants to play LIVE A LIVE along with a bunch of people, we've picked it as the first game we're all playing simultaneously on The Important Cinema Club Discord: www.patreon.com/c/theimporta...
neutral · AI labelView post →Insanely impressive game. You play as 7 different characters, each with their own story and world. Their stories are completely seperated and in different times in history, but once you finish all of the stories, an additional one unlocks, and ties all of their stories in such an amazing way. Absolute banger of a game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🦋current game: Live A Live the remastered graphics are wonderful and each chapter is a unique journey. Yoko Shimomura’s soundtrack is amazing + adds so much to gameplay. it’s been lots of fun so far!! what is everyone else playing? :3
positive · AI labelView post →I came for funny shenanigans. I stayed for philosophical musings on the nature of violence and hate.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Live A Live is a narrative-driven RPG structured as a collection of short chapters set across different time periods. Each scenario features a new protagonist, mechanics, and tone, ranging from prehistoric comedy to sci-fi suspense. This anthology format keeps pacing fresh and prevents repetition, while gradually hinting at a larger thematic connection. Combat uses a tile-based, turn-order system where positioning matters. Abilities have varying ranges, charge times, and area effects.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I sank over 100 hours into this game on the switch, and I'm happy to do it again on the Steam version so I can show it to my friends. This game was perfect for my ADHD because the chapters are short and it had a lot of variety, so I never really felt bored. And the fact that I can save anywhere is HUGE, cuz I'm frequently busy irl and have to stop to take care or things. (I also like that it's not terribly difficult, but I know that's an unpopular opinion, since I usually don't go for JRPGS…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Random Game of the Day Day 647 - Live A Live One of those games I don't think anyone ever expected to see an official US release, let alone a full on HD-2D remake of. A great JRPG where you play as different people from different timelines. The levels are pretty short but the end bosses
positive · AI labelView post →I wouldn't stop streaming last night till I finished Distant Future in LIVE A LIVE. Truly truly peak writing. I don't understand why this game isn't more talked about or hyped with how influential it has been on so many games and pieces of media. I see the light now.
positive · AI labelView post →the more and more I play Live A Live, the more unhinged it gets. what the FUCK is this game LMFAO
neutral · AI labelView post →Do not sleep on this, the Live A Live remake is a loving resurrection of a very weird and unique game, and i love it.
positive · AI labelView post →It's decided! My next game is Live A Live!
neutral · AI labelView post →insane the only Live A Live-like is a fucking south park game
neutral · AI labelView post →I can't believe LIVE A LIVE is a real game that also got a remake but it's so delightfully weird I love it and I'm just two stories in.
positive · AI labelView post →Like Octopath but good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you love JRPGs and haven’t played the LIVE A LIVE remake you should get on that
neutral · AI labelView post →Spell your name with video game titles Live A Live Undertale Chrono Trigger Inscryption Elden Ring Night in the Woods No More Heroes Euro Truck Simulator 2
neutral · AI labelView post →Playing minigames with no functional fun.. It's 1 hour per game. 4 hours tops. Scam for $50 for 4 hours of gameplay.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The last time I played a game so consistently beyond the second day was Live a Live back in 2022 so we are either so back or we are going downhill.
positive · AI labelView post →Please join me at 9:15PM as we premier a game close to my heart, LIVE A LIVE, on the Twitch channel tonight! If you love HD-2D RPGs, then come check this out. Plus, this game was graciously gifted to me by the wonderful @LordWolfgame! Game that game! t.co/EWn4NDPXDu
neutral · AI labelView post →*Going through my library to recommend games I have played on other platforms* A strange 90s RPG that's a diverse collection of short stories that (mostly) can be finished in a single sitting. I personally think it's the best HD-2D game Square Enix has ever made. The variety really worked for me. You can play the stories in any order and jump between them at will. One night you're a kung fu master trying to find a successor. The next you're a cowboy trying to get the town prepared before…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Live a Live (1994 Super Famicom game developed and published by Squaresoft) when Live a Live (2005 chapter of the Haruhi Suzumiya novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito) walks in
neutral · AI labelView post →Live A Live is such a good game. As someone who grew up on Chrono Trigger and love it immensely, this game KINDA does everything CT does but better. Still absolutely cherish CT.
positive · AI labelView post →
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